1. Wear and tear
You don't go to the Stanley Cup Final three consecutive seasons without accumulating significant wear and tear. Certainly, that was the case with the Lightning, who appeared physically and mentally fatigued.
Consider this: starting with the 2020 postseason, the Lightning played in 74 Stanley Cup Playoff games in a three-year span, more than any other NHL team. The grind finally seemed to take its toll on the Lightning, who play a physical game, especially on the forecheck.
2. Home sweet groan?
Amalie Arena used to be one of the most intimidating places for visiting teams to play, especially in the postseason.
Not anymore.
The Lightning have lost five consecutive playoff games on home ice, dating back to the 2022 Stanley Cup Final against the Colorado Avalanche. Indeed, the Avalanche hoisted the Cup on Tampa ice last June, much to the chagrin of the home crowd.
Not much changed in the Eastern Conference First Round against the Maple Leafs this postseason. The Lightning were 0-3 at Amalie Arena, including the 2-1 overtime loss in Game 6 on Saturday that ended their season.
RELATED: [Complete Maple Leafs vs. Lightning series coverage]
3. Unable to seize 'The Moment'
During their impressive postseason runs from 2020-22 the Lightning had a penchant for answering the bell whenever a game was on the line. It allowed them to win 11 of 12 playoff series entering the Eastern Conference First Round against the Maple Leafs.
This time, however, there was no magic at crunch time.
In fact, three of Tampa Bay's four losses came in overtime, when one shot can win the game. Never could the Lightning find a way to beat Maple Leafs goalie Ilya Samsonov in those circumstances. Had they found the back of the net in just one of those games, they'd still be playing.
4. Vasilevskiy is human after all
The contention here remains that Andrei Vasilevskiy is still the best goalie in the game.
He just didn't show it in this series.
Did he cost his team any games? No. But he didn't win them any either. And during Tampa Bay's deep runs the previous three seasons he did exactly that.
Vasilevskiy finished the series with a 3.56 goals-against average and .875 save percentage. He would be the first to tell you those numbers aren't good enough to get the job done in the postseason.
5. Lightning big guns, weren't
During the regular season, Tampa Bay's big three of Brayden Point (51), Steven Stamkos (34) and Nikita Kucherov (30) combined for 115 goals.
In six games against Toronto, they combined for five: Point scored two, Stamkos two, Kucherov one.
That's the same number of goals that Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews scored.
Sure, it was productive that forwards Anthony Cirelli and Killorn led the team with three each. But the Lightning paid the price for the struggles of their top line, especially in those three overtime losses.
